My first wife passed away in 1992 after a seven year battle with brain cancer. She used humor both as a coping mechanism and to put others at ease. She would cause peoples' jaws to drop with lines such as "Anybody with half a brain can see ...." or "I needed that like a hole in the head." When people saw that she could laugh about her own infirmities, they were able to relax and be themselves without worrying about stepping on toes.